JP2008544837A - Water treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable device for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation. The device comprises at least two electrodes (1, 2). The apparatus also includes a housing (4) that is electrically separated from at least two electrodes, and at least two electrodes (1, 2) that are spaced apart from each other. When at least two electrodes (1, 2) are partially submerged in contaminated water and a potential is applied, one (2) of at least two electrodes is sacrificed to bring ions into the contaminated water It is.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates generally to water treatment devices, and more particularly to portable devices for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation.

  The present invention was developed primarily for use in cleaning water to a drinking-friendly standard and is described below with respect to this application. However, the present invention is not limited to a specific application, and is also suitable for normal use of a small amount of industrial polluted water suitable for discharge, for example.

  There are many aspects in which natural water containing pollutants is supplied, such as clay, animal excreta, industrial sewage and other sources of pollutants, which result in water that is unsafe for drinking or uncomfortable. They include isolated communities and remote communities in hikers, travelers, campers and similar movements in remote areas. Implementing a complete supply of safe drinking water is expensive and large.

  There is also an appropriate amount of water available, but natural or man-made disasters that are contaminated due to sewer / septic overflow, organic matter or other pollutants are There are many aspects that cause damage or destruction. Such drinking of water can result in infection of consumers with diseases that are transmitted by cholera or many other waters. Not drinking such water leads to sudden death due to dehydration.

  There are many known means for striving to solve the above problems, chlorine tablets (to disinfect water); filters to remove contaminants, and so on. Even if chlorine is added to the water, the disadvantage of chlorine is that the unattractive water obtained is not preferred by the public. Also, storage of chlorine tablets is difficult and they are not readily available in many aspects. The disadvantage of emergency filters is that they can only be used for a short period before they become clogged. The disadvantage of reusable filters that can remove most contaminants is that they are expensive. Filters also do not remove certain contaminants such as mercury, lead, and arsenate. In addition, many so-called “emergency” filters do not remove certain small viscosity particles, so filtered water is unacceptable for drinking, even if it is safe.

  It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages.

For further background, the coagulation process is successfully used in the industry to achieve good water treatment results. In this process, trivalent metals, usually aluminum and / or iron, are used to clean the water. ^These ions, Al ⁺⁺⁺⁺ and Fe ^++++, are added to the contaminated water in the form of alum (aluminum sulfate) or ferric chloride, respectively. Metal ions combine with contaminants to help remove contaminants from water, sink to the bottom (sedimentation basin), float on top (bubble flotation separation), or increase contaminant size and filter Make it easy to do. Regardless of the mechanism of removal, the use of these ions is widespread in the water treatment industry. Chemical treatment of water is often not feasible because it adds water salinity and the chemicals are quite dangerous.

In a process known as electrocoagulation, the same ions are electrically added to water. In this method, sacrificial electrons are placed in contaminated water and a voltage is applied to them. This creates a current in the flow between the electrodes and liberates the anode metal into the solution by the following reaction.
Al-3e ⁻ gives Al ⁺⁺⁺ (1
And Fe-3e ⁻ gives Fe ⁺⁺⁺ (2

In addition, electricity causes a reaction at the cathode, and electrons are released from the cathode into the water by the following reaction.
2H ₂ O-4e ⁻ gives 2 (OH) ⁻ + 2H ₂ . (3

  This reaction liberates hydrogen gas.

  Given the complexity of the reaction and the power requirements for treating large amounts of water, this type of known system is connected to a large power source and is used to treat large amounts, usually many cubic meters of water per day. It is done. The method requires close monitoring of the relevant parameters and no process fails and the water is not cleaned. Suitable for large-scale applications, but not for small “first-stage” water treatment or areas of very small funding potential.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides at least two electrodes;
A portable contaminated water treatment apparatus using an electrocoagulation method, including a casing that electrically isolates the at least two electrodes (the at least two electrodes are fixed apart from each other),
A portable contaminated water treatment wherein the at least two electrodes are at least partially submerged in the contaminated water to provide an electrical potential and one of the at least two electrodes is sacrificial to provide ions to the contaminated water Providing the device.

One of the at least two electrodes preferably supplies coagulated ions to the contaminated water.

  The at least two electrodes preferably have a combined mass of less than about 15 kg. More preferably, the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of about 5, 2, 1 or 0.2 kg.

The electrode is preferably
Metal foil wrapping around the solid;
Thin curved metal plate;
A flat metal plate; and any one of cylindrical metal bars.

The at least two electrodes are preferably
Oblong;
Round;
Rectangle;
Annular; and has a cross-section that is either closed or nearly closed.

  The device preferably further comprises a power source suitable for supplying the potential to at least two electrodes. The power source is preferably capable of generating a voltage of 1-100 volts. More preferably, the power supply is capable of generating a voltage of 2-40 volts. More preferably, the power supply is capable of generating a voltage of 3-15 volts.

  The device preferably further comprises a power source suitable for supplying the potential to at least two electrodes. The apparatus preferably further includes an on / off control for the power source.

In one form, the power source is a DC power source. More preferably, the DC power source is
Rechargeable battery;
Disposable batteries;
solar panel;
Portable manual generator;
Including wind power generators; and fossil fuel generators and DC power sources derived from electrical outlets.

  In another form, the power source is a slowly changing AC power source. In yet another form, the power source is a rectified AC power source.

  Each of the at least two electrodes preferably has approximately the same cross-sectional area and is approximately parallel in their spaced apart separation.

  The device preferably further includes an insulating space between the distal ends of the at least two electrodes to maintain a spaced separation of the electrodes.

  In one embodiment, the device includes three of the electrodes arranged substantially in parallel and is spaced side by side with the potential supplied to the outermost two of the three electrodes. In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises three said electrodes arranged substantially in parallel, side by side with the potential supplied to each of the three said electrodes, and having the same polarity It has two outermost electrodes and an internal electrode with opposite polarity.

  In yet another embodiment, the apparatus includes five of the electrodes arranged substantially in parallel and is spaced side by side with the potential supplied to the outermost two of the five electrodes. In yet another embodiment, the method further includes five electrodes arranged substantially in parallel, along with the potentials applied to the outermost two of the five electrodes and one of the centers. standing.

  In a further embodiment, the at least two electrodes are in the form of rods and are arranged substantially concentrically within the cylinder. In a further embodiment, the at least two electrodes are configured to be substantially concentrically disposed in the inner and outer cylinders, and in the form of rods disposed substantially concentrically in the inner cylinder. Is fed to the rod and outer cylinder. In a further embodiment, the at least two electrodes are configured to be substantially concentrically disposed in the inner and outer cylinders, and in the form of rods disposed substantially concentrically in the inner cylinder. Is fed to the rod, inner cylinder and outer cylinder.

  In another embodiment, the at least two electrodes are first and second configurations spaced apart substantially parallel to the rod. In yet another embodiment, the at least two electrodes are in the form of four substantially parallel bars spaced at an angle of about 90 ° about the central longitudinal axis, and all the potentials are Supplied to the pole.

  In yet another embodiment, at least two electrodes are arranged in alternating substantially parallel pairs, spaced apart at an angle of about 90 ° about a central longitudinal axis. In the form of a flat plate, the potential is supplied to all flat plates. In yet another embodiment, the at least two electrodes are in the form of a flat plate and two spaced apart, substantially parallel bars, and an electrical potential is supplied to the flat plate and both bars. In yet another embodiment, the at least two electrodes are in the form of a relatively wide plate and two relatively narrow plates that are parallel to each other and spaced from the relatively wide plate. Are supplied to two relatively narrow flat plates.

The at least two electrodes are preferably
aluminum;
iron;
magnesium;
copper;
Stainless steel;
Produced separately from any one of platinum coated titanium; and silver.

At least two electrodes
aluminum;
iron;
magnesium;
copper;
Stainless steel;
Platinum-coated titanium; and one or more of silver.

  The housing is preferably in the form of a handle suitable for manual holding.

  The apparatus preferably further includes a voltage monitoring circuit that traverses at least two electrodes. The voltage monitoring circuit preferably includes an indicator suitable for indicating when the potential is sufficient to supply ions to the contaminated water. In one form, the voltage monitoring circuit is in the housing. In another form, the voltage monitoring circuit is external to the housing.

  In one arrangement, the insulated housing forms part of the container.

In a second aspect, the present invention is a method for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation using a portable device;
The device is
At least two electrodes; and a housing that electrically isolates the at least two electrodes (the at least two electrodes being fixed apart from each other);
The method comprises
At least partially immersing at least two electrodes in the contaminated water;
Supplying a potential to at least two electrodes, sacrificing at least one of the at least two electrodes, and supplying ions to the contaminated water;
Providing a method comprising: measuring a degree of coagulation in the contaminated water; and manually adjusting a degree of immersion of at least two electrodes in the contaminated water while holding the housing to adjust the measured coagulation To do.

At least one sacrificial electrode preferably supplies coagulated ions to the contaminated water.

  In one form, the step of measuring solidification in the contaminated water observes the water around the at least two electrodes to see if the layer of material begins to form over the entire surface of the water within minutes. If such a layer does not begin to form, it includes reducing the flooding of at least two electrodes in the contaminated water.

  In another form, the step of measuring coagulation in the contaminated water monitors the voltage across at least two electrodes, and when the voltage drops below a predetermined level, the voltage is greater than or equal to the predetermined voltage. Reducing the water immersion of at least two electrodes in water.

  In yet another form, the step of measuring coagulation in the contaminated water measures the characteristics of the potential supplied along with the range of conductivity of the treated water and maintains a predetermined voltage sufficient for coagulation. Calculating at least two electrode areas to be submerged in the contaminated water.

In a third aspect, the present invention is a portable device for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation,
The device is
A first electrode defining a capacity;
At least one second electrode;
The first electrode is electrically separated from the at least one second electrode, and the at least one second electrode can be introduced into the capacitor without contacting the first electrode. Having means to
When contaminated water is introduced to at least partially submerge the volume,
The at least one second electrode and a potential are supplied to the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least one of the first electrode and the at least one second electrode is ionized in contaminated water. An apparatus is provided that is sacrificial to supply.

  The first electrode is preferably in the form of a container having an open upper end, and the second electrode is in the form of a rod having an insulating cap at one end and a peripheral spacer at or near the other end. The at least one second electrode is preferably sacrificial.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention is a method for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation using a portable device;
The device is
A first electrode defining a capacity;
At least one second electrode;
Means for electrically separating the first electrode from the at least one second electrode;
Introducing contaminated water into the volume;
Immersing the at least one second electrode at least partially in contaminated water;
A potential is supplied to the first electrode and the at least one second electrode, ions are supplied to contaminated water, and at least one of the first electrode and the at least one second electrode is A method comprising sacrificing to supply ions to contaminated water.

The at least one second electrode is preferably sacrificial.

  In a further aspect, the present invention provides a set of metal plates, strips or blades, to be referred to as plates, for simplicity. These plates can have a convenient length, width and thickness shape and are preferably of a size and weight that most people can easily hold and move with one hand. For most people, an item can be held if it weighs less than 15 kg. However, the device may have any total weight that is less than or equal to 0.2 kg, including about 1 kg, about 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, or other values deemed appropriate. These plate constructions can be anything that can be supported by their own strength, from the metal surrounding the solid to a thin metal plate curved to add strength, a flat material of any thickness It extends to. They may be oval, circular or any closed or nearly closed shape. The number of plates must be a minimum of two and one of those plates is the surface of the metal container and may be a more convenient number. This number depends on the available voltage source.

In order for the electrocoagulation process to work, sufficient voltage is necessary to allow the metal to move from the plate to the water. For example, when aluminum is used as the sacrificial electrode, it generally requires a minimum voltage of at least 2 volts, preferably 3 volts, for this to occur. The potential difference between the Al and mercuric chloride electrodes is only +1.55 volts, but a larger voltage is required for an effective reaction. Experiments show that optimal performance requires a voltage of 3-4 volts. Below 3 volts, the reaction is slow and above 4 volts, the additional voltage requires an increase in power to do the same job.

  The minimum required for the device is a suitable set of electrodes attached to or held in an insulated housing or assembly, and a set of capabilities to connect to a voltage source. Most voltage sources, which are batteries or transformers / rectifiers, have an internal resistance such that when the electrodes are placed in water, current flows and the voltage drops below the nominal value of the power supply. This is especially true for the small portable processes that are required. The current flowing between the electrodes depends on the applied voltage and the conductivity of the water. The conductivity is so high that if the device draws a lot of current, the voltage will drop and the process will not work. The conductivity that is considered suitable for this type of application varies between less than 35 microsiemens / cm and more than 2,000 microsiemens / cm in the range of conductivity greater than 60. Providing a power / electrode combination that can handle a significant range of conductivity is not always possible for any fixed area electrode.

  Studies have shown that different regions can be inserted to achieve satisfactory results with different conductivity of water if the electrode is not fixed. If the water is low in conductivity, for example, in a clean rainforest, all electrodes can be inserted to obtain maximum surface area. The flowing current is sufficiently reduced to not be sufficient to prevent the reaction from occurring. When the conductivity is high, for example, when salt water moves into groundwater, it is necessary to immerse only a part of the electrode in water. This limits the flow of current and ensures that a minimum voltage is maintained and an electrocoagulation reaction takes place. However, when the electrode is fixed, the current flow is very high in high conductivity water, which greatly reduces the voltage and prevents the reaction from taking place.

Choosing a water type, such as rainforest or swamp water, selected by the water conductivity range, operates the system with a specific power source and fixed electrode by appropriate selection of electrode area and power source It should be shown that it is possible to do. In this regard, fixing the voltage source and electrode area for a particular conductivity range so as to maintain the minimum voltage required for the reaction to take place can be calculated to maintain the minimum voltage. It is considered part of the present invention. This maintenance of the minimum voltage is an important part of the present invention without it acting. The rate of action varies inversely with voltage, but the minimum voltage required can be less than 1 volt.

  It should also be shown that wide variability between the internal resistances of different batteries and power sources makes it difficult to specify proper electrode area and voltage. For example, a 12 volt automotive battery has an internal impedance and can supply significant current without a significant drop in voltage. Running the same device from a 12 volt torch battery that cannot provide current capability, such as an automotive battery, does not necessarily provide the present invention with the device necessary to operate. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several calculations of electrode area are necessary to maintain an appropriate minimum electrode voltage for power supplies of the same nominal voltage but different internal impedance.

Keep in mind that the voltage requirement between the electrodes is a minimum of 3 volts (representing a preferred range of 2 volts to 4 volts), and the number of electrodes used will vary with the effective voltage of the power supply. Can do. For a voltage source of 3 to 6 volts, two plates, one as the anode and one as the cathode, are the preferred number of plates. An effective voltage available between 6 and 12 volts, with one outer plate acting as the anode, the other outer plate acting as the cathode, and acting as the cathode on one side and the anode on the other side The three plates are the preferred number of electrodes, having three plates side by side with a central plate acting as

These plates are held at one end in a handle which is an electrical insulator. They may be permanently fixed to the handle or may be temporarily fixed so that the plates can be easily replaced. The distance between the plates may be 1 mm to 50 mm, but 5 to 10 mm is a preferable distance. At the end of the handle, some or all of the plates are connected to conductors that are in turn connected to a suitable power source. At a convenient distance, preferably near the open end of the plate, an electrical insulator can be placed between the plates to ensure that it does not touch while it is acting. Although preferred, this is not an essential feature of the invention.

1-8 show some possible embodiments of a morphological apparatus for treating water by electrocoagulation. In all cases, the plate electrode is held in one place on the assembly. Preferably, this assembly has five handles and will be referred to hereinafter as one handle for convenience. Electrical connections are made to some or all electrodes. All are shown with electrical insulators keeping the edges apart, but if the electrodes are sufficiently rigid, this is not a basic feature and is sufficient to keep the electrodes separated by their own stiffness It is not necessary if it is rigid. However, they all do not need to include the mechanism by which the plate is supported in a single structure that maintains the plate in various possibilities separated from each other. The plate needs to be connected to a DC power source or a slowly changing AC current. The direct current is
a) rechargeable or disposable batteries,
b) solar panels,
c) Portable manual generator,
d) Rectified AC power supply,
e) consists of any other power source that has current capability and supplies a unipolar polarity voltage.

  A voltage rectifier is built into the handle of the device to generate a rectified AC or smoothed DC voltage. The transformer can be constructed in the handle so that AC from the outlet can be applied to the water wand and exert the same desired effect. In the same way, a circuit can be provided that generates a voltage that changes with a frequency of less than 20 cycles / second. This is referred to as a DC current of varying voltage, unlike the AC current commercially obtained at 50 cycles / second or 60 cycles / second. All of these variations are considered applicable to the disclosed embodiments of the present invention.

Plate or Electrode Placement As far as plate shape and placement is concerned, it is desirable that the plates have approximately the same area and be substantially parallel within their separation. This consumes the electrodes uniformly and requires minimal power. However, if the plates are not in a regular form and are approximately evenly spaced, the device works even more, but such an operation requires significant power. Accordingly, uniform and parallel or nearly parallel plates are preferred. However, uneven and / or irregular plates can be used.

  FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a water treatment device having two plates 1 and 2 connected to an insulating handle 4. Each plate has electrical connections 5 and 6 respectively connected thereto. The insulating spacer assembly 7 has a plate away from the far end. As shown in FIG. 1, it is not necessary if the insulating handle assembly is strong enough to support itself firmly over the entire length of the plate. It should also be noted that the handle does not necessarily have to be part of the insulation assembly. The handle may be a conductor or one of the plates. However, the insulation assembly must separate the two assay plates. These plates need not be parallel sides or arranged in parallel. In fact, there are advantages to having the plates close together together at the end away from the insulating handle, they wear faster at the end and the plate's for producing the maximum amount of water before replacement Allows full use. It is important that they only remain electrically isolated from each other apart from contact with water. In operation, as described above, plates 1 and 2 are placed in the underwater and DC power sources and are powered about 1 volt across 5 and 6. For practical purposes, a voltage above 3V is preferred to cause a reaction.

  Similarly, FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a water treatment device having three electrodes 11, 12, and 13 held by an insulating handle 14 and connected to electrical connections 15 and 16, respectively. . Electrical connections are made up to 15 and 16. When this assembly is placed in water, current flows from 11 to 13 causing the reaction described above. However, since the intermediate electrode 12 is between the two electrodes, current must flow through 12 as it travels between 11 and 13. This means that a more effective device is produced as long as the current is used twice and the current is relevant. The only disadvantage of this is that the direct current must be twice the voltage required for the two plate arrangement shown in FIG. The inner plate 12 is shown as being slightly larger than the two outer plates 11, 13. This is desirable from a practical point of view to prevent current going directly to the plates 11-13.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of a water treatment device using three electrodes, each having an electrical connection. It has two modes of operation.

In one mode of operation, one polarity electrode is applied to the inner plate 22 through the electrical connection 28. The other two plates, 21 and 23, are electrically connected to opposite polarities through electrical connections 25 and 26. Thus, the action is more suitable for a low voltage high current power supply. In practice, the appropriate current capability is optimal for power supplies in the range of 3V-6V. In the second mode of operation, the opposite electrical connection is made only to the external electrodes 21 and 23 through the electrical connections 25 and 26. The inner electrode remains floating. This forms the same situation as shown in FIG. This situation provides maximum efficiency for power supplies with high voltage low voltage capability. The choice between these two is
a) Hardwired selection depending on power supply and water conductivity,
b) a mechanical switch between either conforming or depending on the power supply and water conductivity,
c) automatically by an electrical circuit that can detect the parameters of the power supply and automatically adjust the situation,
Or any other convenient method.

  FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a water treatment device using five electrodes 31, 32, 33, 39 and 40 connected to an insulating handle 34. Only the two external electrodes 31 and 40 are connected to a DC power source through leads 35 and 36, respectively. In operation, current flows between 31 and 40, but due to the intervening plates 32, 33 and 39, essentially means that the same current is used several times, current flows through each of these plates. Flowing. All other features such as an electrically isolated assembly or handle that separates the plates are further applied.

  Thus, although only two, three and five plate embodiments were connected, any number of plates can be used. The use of more plates increases the required voltage and the limit is the voltage that is able to experience current trends to avoid electric shocks and some intermediate electrodes, and the efficiency of the method Will decline.

  FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the water treatment device using five electrodes 51, 52, 53, 59 and 60 connected to an insulating handle 54. The outer electrodes 51 and 60 are connected to one polarity of the DC power source through leads 55 and 56, respectively, while the inner electrode 53 is connected to the opposite polarity through a lead 58. This situation supports the situation given in FIG. 4 for the situation where the power supply has a low voltage high current capability. Alternate electrodes can also be equally connected to the positive and negative electrodes. This effectively increases the surface area of the electrode and supports a situation where the water conductivity is low or the DC power supply capability is relatively low, while maintaining a high current at a relatively low voltage.

  There is no limit to the number of electrodes that can be connected in parallel. This effectively increases the surface area of the electrode for each polarity.

  The water treatment device can be configured in many different ways. For example, the embodiment shown in any of FIGS. 6-8, in which the electrode consists of a tube of material, shows such an arrangement. The central bar 81 can be a tube without affecting the nature of the action. It connects to one polarity through connection 86, while outer electrode 82 connects to the other polarity through connection 87. The entire assembly is supported by an insulating handle 75 that also includes an insulating spacer 74 to maintain physical separation of the electrodes. When such an arrangement is placed and operated in water, it is clear that contaminants rise to the surface due to the generation of bubbles by the reaction shown in Equation 3. Thus, it is desirable, but not critical, to have an opening 79 through which water can move above these closed path electrodes. Although this opening is shown as a hole, it can be an elongated cut, which is indicated by reference numeral 100 in FIG.

  Figures 7 and 8 show an embodiment using a cylinder of three materials. As shown in FIG. 7, only the inner electrode 81 and the outer electrode 83 are connected to the power source through connections 85 and 87, respectively. The intermediate electrode 82 forces the current to pass through it and becomes a neutral electrode, doubling the current passing effect. All assemblies are still held together by insulating assemblies 84 and 85 that hold electrodes that are electrically isolated from each other. Also, the holes in the closed loop electrode are desirable in some situations, but are not an essential part of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in electrical connection with all three electrodes 91, 92 and 93. In this case, the inner electrode 92 is connected to one polarity through 98, while the other two electrodes are normally connected to the opposite polarity through connections 96 and 97 coupled together. The assembly is still held together by an insulating assembly and handles 94 and 95 having grooves providing a mechanism through which water can be recirculated through the assembly. It is also advantageous in situations where there are grooves, especially when not all devices are inserted into the water. The grooves are equally applicable to the embodiment described in FIGS. The number of these circular or cylindrical electrodes can exceed the 3 shown here for a maximum set of 10 electrodes, which is very useful for manufacturing systems containing more than 10 electrodes. It is considered expensive.

  The electrodes need not be plate-like in appearance and they may be rods as shown in FIG. Only two rod electrodes 101 and 102 are held apart by an insulating handle 104 that is in electrical connection with 105 and 106. One polarity of the power supply applies to one of the electrodes and the other polarity applies to the other electrode. The bars can be cross-sectional shapes other than round bars that are square, rectangular, cylindrical, or even combinations thereof. In any case, the number of electrodes is not limited to two. FIG. 10 shows four rod electrodes 111, 112, 113, and 117 that are suitably held by an insulation assembly 114 having electrical connections 115, 116, 118, and 119, respectively. As a specific example, connections 115 and 116 connect to one of the polarities, while 118 and 119 connect to the other power supply polarity. Yet another embodiment is shown in FIG. 11 and has four rod-like electrodes 121, 122, 123 and 127 surrounding the inner electrode 130. The inner electrode 130 is connected to one polarity by a connection 131 while the other outer electrodes 121, 122, 123 and 127 are connected to the other polarity by connections 125, 126, 128 and 129.

  For example, an additional number of rod-shaped electrodes can be used as a “circle” of one polarity electrode surrounding inner electrodes of different polarities. Similarly, alternative polar electrode arrays are possible. Similarly, the electrodes need not be the same or even the same shape. As shown in FIG. 12, some electrodes can be configured differently from others. The two rod electrodes 141 and 142 are located on the opposite side of the plate electrode 143. They need to be held together in an insulating handle / support mechanism. They connect 141 and 142 with opposite polarities applied through their connections 145 and 146 and a central electrode 143 that acts as a neutral electrode between the two active electrodes 141 and 142 without connection. ing. Also, the electrical connection with 141 and 142 through 145 and 146 may be the same, but the center electrode 143 is connected to the opposite electrode by 148. In another variation shown in FIG. 13, electrodes 151 and 152 are connected to an alternate polarity by connections 155 and 156, and electrode 153 is neutral to both. Connecting the two electrodes 151 and 152 to the same polarity and setting 153 to the opposite polarity is the same as the arrangement shown in FIG.

  The handle can be made of an insulating material and the electrodes can be connected by any stable means. They can be permanently connected or connected via several quick fit methods. Permanent connection makes the device once used and disposable, while the quick fit method makes the device continuous use with interchangeable electrodes. The handle can be something that can be gripped, or it can simply be a set of spacers similar to those shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, 7, 17, 27, or 37, respectively. The handle must allow electrical connection to the appropriate electrode.

  Similarly, the electrode can be supported by a container, as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. The electrodes 161 and 162 are suitably held in the container 163 by a mounting mechanism 164 having electrical connections 165 and 166 to which opposite polarity voltages are applied. All this assembly can still be taken by hand. The attachment mechanism 164 is either permanently fixed to the container 163 or removable, and the containerless assembly is similar to that shown in FIG. The arrangement shown in FIGS. 1-13 can be used in place of the two electrode arrangement shown in this specification. However, if the electrode is removable from the container, the function and portability of the device similar to that shown in FIGS.

  Similarly, it should be shown that a metal container can also be used as one of the electrodes, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. Item 172 is both a container and a single electrode connected to a power source by a connector 176. The other electrode 171 has an insulating component 174 that can be placed in the container 172 without the connector 175 and electrical connection therewith.

  Further, when the electrode 171 is not permanently fixed to the container 172, portability is maintained.

  Other electrode arrangements can also be used. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is also useful, particularly when the electrical connection from the outer electrode is removed from the assembly and connected to the container.

  A weight of less than 15 kg is considered easily handled by the average adult male. This is the weight of an empty container and electrode set, since these devices should basically be used in a fixed manner. Once water is added, the weight may be sufficient to handle the container.

  Many different shapes are possible for the water treatment device, and the actual configuration is determined by the voltage and current obtained from the power source and the conductivity of the water.

  The area of the electrode can be a convenient area that can be easily handled by an average adult male with one hand. Convenient areas are 100 mm wide, 500 mm long and 3 mm thick. However, they are equal to 6 mm diameter, 1000 mm length, or 20 mm diameter, 100 mm length. Area is not an important feature. It is the use of sacrificial electrodes that generate solidified chemical ions and bubbles that are important.

  The electrodes can have any convenient spacing. However, the spacing is very small for solidified contaminating particles, which deviate from the spacing between the electrodes, so an area separated by less than 1 mm cannot be considered. Similarly, the power required to move between the two electrodes is so great that the process is efficient, so electrodes with a spacing of more than 200 mm are unthinkable. Electrodes with a spacing of 5 mm to 20 mm are considered the most effective range. Furthermore, electrodes with a spacing of 2 mm to 10 mm also provide certain advantages. These distances make it possible to clean the space between the electrodes, and at the same time are not so great and are carried by the ions through the water and a considerable effect is lost by the movement of the current.

Plate or Electrode Composition This embodiment of the water treatment apparatus described above releases some active metal ions by the passage of electric current through the metal / water surface and activates some sacrificial electrode principles. The reaction given by equations 1 and 2 takes place at the anode. Such an anode-positive polarity-must consist of a sacrificial metal at the expense of appropriate ions. The preferred anode metal is aluminum (Al), but may be iron (Fe), both of which are trivalent metals. Another suitable metal is magnesium (Mg), which can help remove some types of particles from contaminated water. In other variations, the anode may be made of copper (Cu), which is a powerful algicide and can remove algae from contaminated water. Furthermore, the use of a silver anode provides ions that kill many pathogens and thus sterilize water.

The cathode may be made of the same metal as the anode, one of those metals, or any other inert metal such as stainless steel. One of the best cathode materials is platinum-coated titanium, which is an inert metal that does not contaminate water. It should be noted that when aluminum is used as the cathode, it exhibits the following reaction:
Al + 4H ₂ O + e ⁻ gives Al (OH) ₄ ⁻ + 2H ₂ . (4

  Or something similar could happen at the cathode. This has the advantage that it helps to release more aluminum into the water while cleaning faster with less electricity usage. The reactions in equations 3 and 4 are competitive cathodic reactions meaning that reaction 4 is not all reactions that occur at an aluminum cathode.

  Any neutral electrode will optionally have one side acting as a cathode and the other side acting as an anode. As such, the neutral electrode may be made of the same material such as an anode, for example, aluminum, iron, magnesium or copper. Or it may consist of two metals and its cathode working side may consist of an inert material such as stainless steel or platinum-coated titanium (or equivalent to an inert material). The other side is made of an anode metal (Al, Fe, Mg, Cu). In this case, the two different metals must be electrically coupled.

  When aluminum is used as the cathode material, an oxygen-rich insulating layer is formed on the active surface of the cathode. If not removed, the reaction ceases to occur and this layer eventually prevents current from flowing through the cathode.

  When this happens, the "oxide" layer of this material must be removed by some physical or chemical process. Usually, scraping the surface with a hard, sharp object is sufficient to ensure proper removal of the material. Also, the presence of materials with extreme zeta potentials and other sources of residual charge can result in material accumulation at the surface of the electrode. This may also be sufficient to prevent the passage of current when the electrode is in water that is energized. Also, if this happens, it may be necessary to remove the assembly of materials by scraping them with a hard, sharp surface.

The number of electrodes required is a combination of the following: 1) Available power supply. Preferably less than 6 volts, all electrodes are connected positively or negatively. However, this does not preclude the use of higher voltages because of the other connected electrodes. It simply reduces the effectiveness of the process.
2) It may be more effective to use a single neutral electrode of 6 volts or more and between the anode and cathode electrodes.
3) It may be more effective to use two neutral electrodes, 12 volts or more, between the anode and cathode electrodes.
4) It may be more effective to use three neutral electrodes, 15 volts or more, between the anode and cathode electrodes.
Determined by.

  This can be extended to higher voltages and more neutral electrodes, but generally means that the power supply may not be conveniently available. Although the use of additional electrodes under that circumstance is not described, the use of more electrodes does not prevent the inclusion of this technique.

Similarly, the size and shape of the plate is variable. Long rectangular plates connected to one end are easy to manufacture. The short square or squat shape easily fits into a shallow bucket and provides a large surface area and therefore cleans faster than the elongated plate shown in FIGS.
Non-rectangular plates are difficult to manufacture, but have advantages in assembly and replacement. Closed loop electrodes such as those shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 make it difficult to pass current through the water from one electrode to the other, bypassing the neutral electrode, thus providing advantages in high conductivity water. Have.

  Similarly, external connections to the plate can be used and connections can be added or removed depending on the battery used as needed. Thus, the use of a plate that is electrically connected to a DC power source to generate coagulation cations and bubbles will help clean small amounts of contaminated water. These plates can be bent or curved. The plate needs to be opened to allow air bubbles to escape from the vicinity where they are generated and allow trapped coagulum to float on the surface.

  The side of the plate is open. This allows the floating cotton-like mass to leave the vicinity of the electrode and form at the surface. The process works by solidifying the contaminating particles which are then easier to remove. In water, there is a possibility of “electrolysis” of pathogens, but there is no guarantee that this process will remove or kill them. It is desirable to kill all residual pathogens to be sure that the water is suitable for drinking. There are several ways in which this can be achieved, including traditional chlorine or bromine disinfection or other chemical methods. They have the disadvantage of requiring additional replenishment. Another way to ensure the killing of all pathogens is to add metals that are harmful to microorganisms. Two such metals are copper and silver. Addition to any small amount of water will react with bacteria and viruses and make them harmless. At least one of the anodes contains one of these metals, one of them is in electrical contact with one or more of the anodes, or an additional anode containing one of these metals is employed These can be added by ensuring that Thus, a small amount of silver or copper is added to the water during the electrocoagulation process. A small portion of this can be removed during a stable process.

It is important that the amount of sterilizing metal, silver or copper, ions added is proportional to the amount of solidifying metal added. This is controlled by the solidifying metal, the sterilizing metal, the valence of the ions, and the relative surface area of their atomic weight. Silver is monovalent at an atomic weight of 108, while aluminum is trivalent at an atomic weight of 27. As a specific example, if it is desired to add 0.5 mg / L silver and 10 mg / L aluminum, it requires 20 × 3/4 = 15 times the aluminum surface area of silver. From the 10 / 0.5 ratio, 20 results in 3 because 3 times more electrons are needed to release aluminum ions than silver. 4 results from the relative reduction in aluminum and silver. This calculation assumes that aluminum and silver are equally spaced from the cathode. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the use of alloys of these metals, for example, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and the main metal action still occurs.

Operation The use of an embodiment of the disclosed water treatment apparatus will now be described. First put water for cleaning into a container. The container can be of any suitable size and shape and can be made of any suitable material such as plastic (transparent, translucent or opaque), steel, copper or other suitable material. When using a metal container, the electrode array must be such that it does not come into electrical contact with each other through the metal container by placing the electrodes on the metal container. The container must also have an opening at the top that is large enough to insert the electrode of the device. It may or may not have a drain tap at the bottom for draining clean water. If the container is made of clear plastic, it will be easy to determine if the water is clean or the reaction is complete. The size of the container is not critical, but the depth should be the same size so that the length of the electrode and its surface area is not much greater than 20 times the “cleaned” area of the electrode. For this purpose, the clean area of the electrode is the diameter of a circle that completely surrounds the electrode. The 20 times view of the cleaned area is only a guide for practical purposes, and the system will still be working even if the cleaned area is much larger. Regions that are "cleaned" that are 50 times or even 100 times larger will still be undergoing a clean operation.
A large volume or a large clean area simply means that it takes a long time to clean the water and eventually it may not be possible to clean it if the water volume is too large.

  The container does not have to be a mold, and any container that holds water can be used. These can include plastic sheets that are appropriately covered in a manner that allows the capacity to hold a capacity with sufficient depth so that electrodes can be inserted. Eventually, even a puddle retained on the clay surface can be treated in this manner, and the treated water is removed appropriately for use.

  Referring initially to FIG. 1, the electrode is placed in a water container, causing a current flow between electrodes 1 and 2. At the anode, the reaction of Formula 1 or 2 (or equivalent for other metals) takes place, freeing the solidified metal ions, but releasing the gas at the cathode. Referring to FIG. 2 and in the situation where there is one or more intermediate neutral electrodes, the surface closest to the anode acts like a cathode, while the surface closest to the cathode acts like an anode. A surface acting like an anode generates metal ions according to either reaction 1 or 2, and the other surface acting like a cathode generates gas.

  Metal ions aggregate (ie, bind) contaminants and enlarge them. They will also result in agglomerated contaminants combined with free air bubbles. This will result in many contaminants rising in the water and reaching the surface where they often form a stable structure at the surface. Due to the characteristics of the bubbles flowing back through the electrode, the water in the vicinity of the bubbles scatters upward together with the bubbles. For this reason, it is preferred that the device has an opening at the upper end that allows water to splash from the electrodes. This is an original feature of plate and rod electrodes, but not necessarily the closed loop electrodes of the designs shown in FIGS. If all of the electrodes in the rod are located below the surface of the water, the presence of such holes that drain the water out is not necessary. If the device does not have this opening, the process still functions, but the effectiveness is reduced. As such, these openings, holes or narrow cuts are desirable.

  It should be noted that a sufficient voltage must be maintained between the anode and the cathode so that there is sufficient energy for the reactions shown in equations 1-4 to occur. Generally, a DC power supply of at least 3 volts is required per anode-cathode set. For practical purposes, it is desirable to exceed 4 volts. However, it is possible to cause some reactions at voltages as high as 2 volts per anode-cathode set. As such, the minimum anode-cathode voltage that forms part of the present invention per anode-cathode set in the series is set at 2 volts. It should also be noted that this voltage is not a root mean square and is a peak that maximizes as long as a rectified AC power source is involved. A voltage below 1 volt is considered too low for practical use.

  Most power supplies have voltage and current limitations. Once a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the resistance between the water and the electrode determines the current that flows between them. If the water conductivity is very high due to the electrode surface, the voltage output of the power supply may be reduced and the minimum voltage is no longer maintained. At this stage, even if bubbles are generated at the cathode, it is not sufficient for the anode to release metal ions and allow the process to function. For a given power source and water conductivity, this can be overcome by placing less area of the electrode in water until such time as the voltage increases and the reaction takes place again.

  There are three mechanisms for determining how much of the electrode should be inserted into the water. In the first mechanism, the conductivity range of the water to be treated is determined along with the battery or power supply characteristics (characteristics include voltage and internal resistance characteristics) to maintain the appropriate voltage and thereby process Calculate the area of the electrode to function.

  In the second mechanism, the process is observed to see if a layer of material begins to form at the surface of the electrode within minutes. If such a layer does not start forming, the electrode is pulled out a little and observed again. The process is repeated in minutes until the electrode is pulled out of the water or a layer of material is observed to begin forming on the surface. This is obviously a time consuming and inadequate way to do it.

  In the third mechanism, the voltage between the anode and the cathode is monitored. One way to accomplish this is to connect a voltmeter across the anode and cathode and monitor the voltage. If the voltage becomes very low, the electrode is withdrawn until the voltage exceeds the minimum required voltage. Another way to achieve the same result is to supply a voltage that monitors the circuit across the anode and cathode. If the voltage exceeds the minimum voltage, the voltage that monitors the circuit is a light emitting diode (or other suitable indicator such as a lamp, a signal in a liquid crystal display, or other way to indicate that the voltage is sufficient) Irradiate. If the voltage drops below the required minimum, a different signal is obtained. This can cause the LED to turn off or change color (or other suitable electro-mechanical-audio-visual signal indicating failure). At this stage, the electrode set that forms part of the present invention is withdrawn until an electrical, mechanical, audio or visual signal indicates that the voltage is adequate and the process operates effectively. .

  The ability to monitor voltage is a desirable feature. However, the design will ensure that the voltage will always exceed the minimum required voltage if the area of the electrode is chosen to adequately match the power capability and water conductivity. As mentioned above, even if the voltage drops below the desired minimum, the user has a mechanism to solve it even if the process uses a certain amount of available power source.

  The liberated aggregated metal ions will bind to the contaminant particles in the water by a well-known aggregation reaction and will cause the particles to become slightly larger. Free gas will trap aggregates of aggregated contaminants and form microbubbles that make them buoyant. These buoyant masses will then float to the surface and form a metastable layer. As the pollutant rises, the water will appear cleaner. The action of the gas rising from the electrode will raise the water with it. This will ensure that the water in the vessel circulates through the plate electrode. This has two effects. The first is that it stirs the electrodes through the water and passes them all, so that it doesn't have to be cleaned all (this can happen because the size of the container is not very large). If you can't). The second is that microorganisms in the water pass through the plates and they are exposed to strong power. Such may not be enough to kill all microorganisms, but reduces the motility of many microorganisms and considerably reduces the number of live bacteria remaining in the water after removing it from the flocculent mass Let

  Furthermore, the use of copper and / or silver anodes in addition to aluminum and / or iron anodes will release Cu and / or Ag ions in water. Some of these ions are removed by the solidifying metal, but some fixed the remaining pathogens showing the number of hours necessary to allow the flocculent mass to settle out of the water It remains. In this way, the water is disinfected and cleaned.

At a time appropriately adjusted by the operator (eg when the water looks clean or when the flocculent mass on the surface of the water starts to turn white), the electrode is completely withdrawn from the water. Care must be taken not to stir the water too much so that the flocculent lumps on the surface, including levitated contaminants, are disturbed and do not sink into the water. Advantageously, the water is not stirred and the flocculent mass is maintained at the top of the water. Also, the power to the device can be turned off either by removing the power source from the bar or by turning off the switch between the power source and the bar. Once the reaction is complete, even if the water is stirred so that the flocculent mass is broken and redistributed into the water, it remains separated from the water and slowly sinks to the bottom. Even if the reaction stops, some bubbles remain in the water. Therefore, it is desirable to wait for a few minutes after removing the device for all rising bubbles that give maximum cleaning of water. This time is about 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the container. There is an advantage in standing water for several hours after the reaction has stopped. The smallest bubbles rise from the water and the agglomerated contaminants have settled very long at the bottom of the container. Unreacted aluminum will precipitate contaminants or particles. If the water is left for a longer period of time, the water that looks cleaner will be the treated water.

  After the flocculent mass has risen to the surface, it can be removed at a convenient time. This can be done by techniques such as squeezing the container, raising the level of water, allowing the flocculent mass to flow from the top, or scooping the flocculent mass from the surface, or other suitable technique. Can be implemented. This action leaves less pollutants precipitated in the water. If the flocculent removal process disturbs the flocculent mass, it can stir the water to break up the remaining foam, and after a few hours the flocculent mass will leave the bottom leaving very clean water. Will sink into. This water can be easily poured to provide clear, disinfected water that is suitable for human consumption from many other unsuitable sources.

  When further determined to be appropriate, the cleaned water can be withdrawn from the container. If the flocculent mass is not removed when this is done, it is desirable that the surface flocculent mass is not disturbed when removing water. There are several ways to do this. One is to use a container with a faucet at the bottom. When appropriate, open the faucet and drain the water. If such a container is not available, water can be drawn up using a small hose. Place one end of the hose in the bucket and create a vacuum at the outer end to remove the water. It is important to do this in a controlled manner so as not to destroy the flocculent mass. Care should be taken to ensure that the flocculent mass is not destroyed and that the contaminants do not return to the water. The third method is simply to drain the water using a bucket with a pouring faucet. The fourth method is to use a bucket with a pouring “edge”. Simply push the flocculent mass off the edge and let most of the contents of the bucket flow out. Note that in these cases it is desirable to continue to watch the water being poured so that the removed contaminants do not contaminate the water again.

  Other alternative means include stirring the treated water, breaking up the floating flocculent mass and allowing all particles to settle to the bottom of the container. This makes the top water free of all contaminants, which can simply be poured or removed separately. Another alternative is to pour water into a suitable filter. In some cases, it may simply be a coarse filter that does not remove particles prior to the electrocoagulation step. When using this latter step, it is best to let water stand for several hours before passing it through the filter, and within 24 hours is considered advantageous.

  As a general rule, if the device is disconnected or left for longer after the water is removed, less processing is required to clean a given volume of water.

Results When used in an appropriate manner, this technique can remove many contaminants from 95% to 99.9% + in one simple operation. The amount removed depends on the nature of the contaminant. It should be noted that the system is considered to be suitable for lightly contaminated water, ie water contaminated by mud and spill / sewage overflow, and perhaps light industrial use only for mining pollution. It is considered unsuitable for septic or sewage wastewater or severe industrial sewage. However, when the water treatment device is used according to instructions, the contaminant removal rates are usually as follows.

  The removal rate is only about 99%, but the use of copper / silver means that the remaining pathogen is inactive.

  After treatment, the water looked clean and most contaminants and pathogens were removed. It should look very clean and taste better than the original raw water. In most cases, the percentage of active pathogen remaining will be zero. However, this process does not guarantee that all pathogens have been removed / destroyed, but can be considered as a suitable single-step method in the production of potable water from all reasonable sources Do not mean. For highly contaminated water sources, other sources of disinfection should be considered.

Advantages The main advantage of the water treatment equipment mentioned above is that it is a simple equipment that can remove a variety of pollutants, can be used by people with few instructions, and can be reused repeatedly. .

  The water treatment device described above can be easily manufactured, transported and operated almost anywhere with little power and one person, with little technical power or assistance.

The water treated by the portable water treatment device described above is very suitable for drinking since most of the contaminants are removed. Other advantages include the following.
1) The amount of power required by the portable water treatment device described above is very small. Normally, heavily contaminated water has a turbidity of 100 NTU and contains trace amounts of bacteria. The portable water treatment device described above uses only 3 volts and 0.1 amp hour to clean up to 10 liters of water. Higher levels of contamination require more power to clean the water, and lower levels mean that even more water can be cleaned.
2) The very small amount of power required by the portable water treatment device described above means that a single 6 volt 5 amp hour battery can clean more than 500 liters of water. A single small commercial 9 volt battery can be used to clean 15 liters of water.
3) The portable water treatment apparatus described above can be used with a solar panel. On sunny days, a 12 volt 10 watt solar panel can power two or three devices and clean up over 1,000-2,000 liters of contaminated water per day Can do. This is a more effective water treatment than any other currently available mechanism.
4) When a small power source is available, the ability to provide clean drinking water to remote locations is significantly improved using the portable water treatment device described above. It also allows a person traveling in a remote area to get water along the road instead of carrying a complete supply. Equally important, it makes it possible to supply clean water to a minimal facility, for example, relief following a natural disaster.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a first embodiment of a water treatment apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a second embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a third embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a fourth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a fifth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a sixth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a seventh embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of an eighth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 9 is a schematic side view, front view, and plan view of a ninth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the first embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the eleventh embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of a twelfth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of a thirteenth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a fourteenth embodiment of a water treatment device. FIG. 15 is two perspective views of the fifteenth embodiment of the water treatment device.

Claims (52)

At least two electrodes;
A portable contaminated water treatment apparatus using an electrocoagulation method, including a casing that electrically isolates the at least two electrodes (the at least two electrodes are fixed apart from each other),
A portable contaminated water treatment wherein the at least two electrodes are at least partially submerged in the contaminated water to provide an electrical potential and one of the at least two electrodes is sacrificial to provide ions to the contaminated water apparatus. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two electrodes is sacrificial to provide coagulated ions to the contaminated water. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of less than about 15 kg. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of less than about 5 kg. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of less than about 2 kg. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of less than about 1 kg. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two electrodes have a combined mass of less than about 0.2 kg. The at least two electrodes are
Metal foil wrapping around the solid;
Thin curved metal plate;
The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is made from any of a flat metal plate; and a cylindrical metal bar. The at least two electrodes are
Oblong;
Round;
Rectangle;
8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, having a cross-section that is either annular; and closed or nearly closed. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a power source suitable for supplying the potential to at least one of the at least two electrodes. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an on / off control for the power source. 12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the power source generates a voltage of about 1 to about 100 volts. 12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the power source generates a voltage of about 2 to about 40 volts. 12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the power source generates a voltage of about 3 to about 15 volts. The device according to claim 10, wherein the power source is a DC power source. The DC power supply is
Rechargeable battery;
Disposable batteries;
solar panel;
Portable manual generator;
The apparatus of claim 15, comprising: a wind power generator; and a DC power source obtained from an electrical outlet. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the power supply is a slowly changing AC power supply. The device according to claim 10, wherein the power source is a rectified AC power source. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the at least two electrodes has substantially the same surface area and is substantially parallel in their spaced separation. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an insulating space between the distal ends of the at least two electrodes to maintain a spaced separation of the electrodes. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising three of the electrodes arranged substantially in parallel and spaced apart from the potential supplied to the outermost two of the three electrodes. . The three outermost electrodes arranged substantially in parallel, the two outermost electrodes having the same polarity, spaced apart from each other, in line with the potential supplied to each of the three electrodes, and opposite 21. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, comprising an internal electrode having the following polarity: 21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, comprising five electrodes arranged substantially in parallel and spaced apart from the potential supplied to the outermost two of the five electrodes. Equipment. 21. The method further comprises five electrodes arranged substantially in parallel, and are aligned and spaced apart from potentials applied to the outermost two of the five electrodes and one of the centers. The device according to any one of the above. 21. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two electrodes are in the form of rods and are arranged substantially concentrically within a cylinder. The at least two electrodes are configured to be substantially concentrically disposed in the inner and outer cylinders, and in a rod shape disposed substantially concentrically in the inner cylinder, and the electric potential is applied to the rod and the outer cylinder. 21. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, which is supplied. The at least two electrodes are configured to be substantially concentrically disposed in the inner and outer cylinders, and in a rod shape disposed substantially concentrically in the inner cylinder, and the electric potential is the rod, the inner cylinder, and 21. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, supplied to an outer cylinder. 21. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two electrodes are in first and second configurations spaced substantially parallel to the rod. The at least two electrodes are in the form of four substantially parallel bars spaced at an angle of about 90 ° about a central longitudinal axis, and an electrical potential is supplied to all the bars; 21. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1-20. The at least two electrodes are in the form of four flat plates arranged in alternating substantially parallel pairs spaced apart at an angle of about 90 ° about a central longitudinal axis, 21. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein is supplied to all flat plates. 21. Any one of claims 1-20, wherein the at least two electrodes are in the form of a flat plate and two spaced apart substantially parallel bars, and an electrical potential is supplied to the flat plate and both bars. The device described. The at least two electrodes are in the form of a relatively wide flat plate and two relatively narrow flat plates that are parallel to each other and spaced from the relatively wide flat plate, and the potential is two relative 21. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the device is supplied to a narrow flat plate. The at least two electrodes are
aluminum;
iron;
magnesium;
copper;
Stainless steel;
An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, manufactured separately from any one of platinum-coated titanium; and silver. The at least two electrodes are
aluminum;
iron;
magnesium;
copper;
Stainless steel;
35. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-32, comprising platinum coated titanium; and one or more of silver. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is in the form of a handle suitable for manual holding. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further comprises a voltage monitoring circuit across at least two electrodes. 38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the voltage monitoring circuit includes an indicator suitable for indicating when the potential is sufficient to supply ions to contaminated water. 38. The apparatus of claim 36 or 37, wherein the voltage monitoring circuit is in a housing. 38. Apparatus according to claim 36 or 37, wherein the voltage monitoring circuit is external to the housing. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insulated housing forms part of a container. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two electrodes are separated by about 5 to 20 mm. 42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least two electrodes are about 2-10 mm apart. A method of treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation using a portable device;
The device is
At least two electrodes; and a housing that electrically isolates the at least two electrodes (the at least two electrodes being fixed apart from each other);
The method comprises
At least partially immersing at least two electrodes in the contaminated water;
Supplying a potential to at least two electrodes, sacrificing at least one of the at least two electrodes, and supplying ions to the contaminated water;
Measuring the degree of coagulation in the contaminated water; and holding the housing and manually adjusting the degree of water immersion of at least two electrodes in the contaminated water to adjust the measured coagulation. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one sacrificial electrode supplies coagulated ions to the contaminated water. Measuring the coagulation in the contaminated water observes the water around the at least two electrodes, whether a layer of material begins to form over the entire surface of the water within minutes, such layer 45. A method according to claim 43 or 44, comprising reducing the flooding of at least two electrodes in the contaminated water if does not begin to form. The step of measuring coagulation in the contaminated water monitors the voltage across at least two electrodes, and if the voltage drops below a predetermined level, at least two in the water until the voltage is greater than or equal to the predetermined voltage. 45. The method according to claim 43 or 44, comprising reducing water immersion of the electrodes. Measuring the coagulation in the contaminated water measures the characteristics of the potential supplied along with the conductivity range of the treated water and submerses the contaminated water to maintain a predetermined voltage sufficient for coagulation 45. A method according to claim 43 or 44, comprising calculating a region of at least two electrodes to be power. A portable device for treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation,
The device is
A first electrode defining a capacity;
At least one second electrode;
The first electrode is electrically separated from the at least one second electrode, and the at least one second electrode can be introduced into the capacitor without contacting the first electrode. Having means to
When contaminated water is introduced to at least partially submerge the volume,
The at least one second electrode and a potential are supplied to the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least one of the first electrode and the at least one second electrode is ionized in contaminated water. Equipment that is sacrificial to supply. The first electrode is in the form of a container having an open upper end;
49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the second electrode is in the form of a rod having an insulating cap at one end and a peripheral spacer at or near the other end. 50. The apparatus of claim 48 or 49, wherein the at least one second electrode is sacrificial. A method of treating contaminated water by electrocoagulation using a portable device;
The device is
A first electrode defining a capacity;
At least one second electrode;
Means for electrically separating the first electrode from the at least one second electrode;
Introducing contaminated water into the volume;
Immersing the at least one second electrode at least partially in contaminated water;
A potential is supplied to the first electrode and the at least one second electrode, ions are supplied to contaminated water, and at least one of the first electrode and the at least one second electrode is And sacrificing to supply ions to the contaminated water. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the at least one second electrode is sacrificial.

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